Al Aqili Furnishings drives major strategic GCC retail expansion with AED 300 m investment

The new retail space in Lamcy Plaza - one of the UAE's most popular shopping complexes - is the third showroom to open in the last 12 months, with the first two launched in Safeer Mall Sharjah and Dubai Festival City, which opened to the public last November. New showrooms to open in the coming months include strategic points in the GCC such as Bahrain and Kuwait.

"The UAE alone accounts for 48% of all interior furnishings imports coming into the GCC. We have seen a huge increase in demand for competitively priced quality interior products, and to maintain our market leading position in the flooring sector we have implemented a solid business expansion plan, which will see us open 30 new Rugland showrooms by 2010," said Shahriar Khodjasteh, Group Marketing Director, AAF.

"The last year has been a tremendous success for the company and we have achieved 68 percent growth on 2005 figures to achieve AED 184 million (US$ 50 m) in gross revenue. New concepts are being developed to come online within the coming months, which will solidify our presence at the top of the furnishings sector."

Rugland provides products from some of the world's most renowned manufacturers such as; Oriental Weavers- one of the world's largest manufacturers of machine made rugs; Nourison - the US-based producer of handmade areas rugs. It also offers a vast range of flooring accessories including; doormats, bathmats, area rug underlay and anti-slip padding

"We are continually seeking to expand our retail offerings in order to reach our target market, whilst providing the complete range of interior solutions ranging from mid to 'appointment only' exclusive products. The opening of this showroom is yet another step toward fulfilling this goal, as we have identified a gap in the mid-low to mid-high segment and we are in the process of filling this void,"

added Khodjasteh

AAF has multiple divisions that cater for residential, commercial and hospitality interior solutions such as; Carpetland - providing an extensive range of residential and commercial flooring; Officeland - supplying mid to high end office furnishings; Francesco Molon - the Italian based manufacturer of exclusive neo-classical furniture and Belight, which offers some of the most innovative lighting solutions available in the market.